Originally Posted by
irishguy28
Yes, you have.
This is a system-wide change that was announced in September and was originally due to be implemented from November 1st last. It applies equally to all domestic routes and all short routes, just as it applies to all longer routes, including routes to/from Eilat and Tel Aviv. Due to the disruption caused by the pilot shortage, its implementation was delayed until this week.
There is a difference, though.
For all destinations the larger bag can be gate-checked free of charge, where as for flights to Israel, said gate check will cost 50€...
The only thing I can think of when it comes to security is the "extended" hand-luggage security some PAX get at TLV (and I guess also exists in VDA) where you have to unpack the entire content of your bag, this could potentially means PAX will only arrive to the gate at the very last minute, which would in turn cause the flight to be delayed which Ryan Air probably tries to avoid by having said PAX check the bag at the check-in counter, and recover some of those costs by charging them for it.